Uber has backed down in its confrontation with regulators in the Philippines, once again agreeing to suspend its service in Manila for a month as ordered.
At the start of the week, the country’s Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) told the U.S. Firm to halt operations. Although it did not give an explicit reason at the time, the move followed Uber’s alleged failure to stop registering new drivers, as ordered by the regulator.
On Tuesday, after suspending its service for several hours, Uber filed an appeal and resumed operations in the Filipino capital, much to the chagrin of the LTFRB. This episode in the saga didn’t last long either.
“The order is very clear. It has no other interpretation,” LTFRB board member Aileen Lizada said Tuesday afternoon, after the watchdog rejected Uber’s appeal.
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The regulator criticized Uber for giving its drivers “false hope” that they could continue earning money through the platform, despite the ordered suspension. When it issued the original order, the LTFRB urged Uber to “extend financial assistance” to its drivers during the one-month period as “an expression of good faith,” as they “would not have suffered the current predicament were it not for [Uber’s] predatory actions.”
“We are disappointed with the LTFRB’s decision to deny our motion for reconsideration, and will comply with the order,” Uber Philippines said in a statement that also thanked the public for “its support over the last 24 hours.”
